Electric furnace.



J. H. REID.

ELECTRIC FURNAOE.

APPLIGATIONVFILED Nov. 9, 1908.

INVL'HTR ...T-.H REID.-

Wzfune'sss an entras JAMES HENRY REID, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC FRNACE.

Specification of Lettera Patent'.

atented Sian. 203, 1909.

Application filed November 9, i908. Serial No. 461,733.

To all wwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY REID, of Newark, in the State of New Jersey, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric furnaces. Theobjects of my invention are to provide improved means for regulating and rending more uniform the action of the current, in heating the material to be treat-ed.

In an earlier application Serial 11449877 l have described a form of electric furnace in which the ore is supported on a crucible Within the furnace constituted by electrodes and resistance elements. f

The present invention involves an improvement on this earlier invention whereby it may be better adapted to use a polyph ase current to secure better regulation and distribution of the heat- In its construction the invention includes a plurality of converging electrodes adapted to constitute a Crucible to support the charge and being connected polyphase cui-'rent producing system in combination with a vertical extending electrode adapted to cxtendinto the top of the charge and being connected to the neutral point of the polyphase system as hereinafter described,

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section through the furnace. F ig. 2 is a transverse section along the line, 2--2, Fig. i.

In the drawings, like figures ot rclcrcncc indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the body portion or casing of the furnace having a plurality of converging and down- Wardly'inclined electrodes, B, C, D, and E therein, which are electrically connected to the different phases of a source of supply of polyphasc current such as a dynamo. vEach of these electrodes are provided with suitable automatic regulators 11 of any suitable type such as that described in my earlier' application #449877, the said regulators being adapted to maintain the amount of current llowing through each olZ the electrodes coiistmt.

These converging electrodes are adapted to dillerent phases ol a i to constitute the outlines of a Crucible on which the charge may be supported during treatment and to complete the form tion of this crucible a plurality olE resistance elelments G, are provided, extending through the walls of the casing K and meeting the other electrodes at the converging point, the construction boing such as described in my said earlier application #449877.

According to thc present invention a ver tical electrode H is provided which extends through the top I of the furnace and has an automatic constant current regulator Jjeoniiected thereto, the said electrode being adapted to have its end extend into the te of the charge as indicated, the electrodo itse l being electrically connected to the neutral point ot' the poly'phase system,

It will thus be seen that in operation the amount of current llowing through each of the dillcrent phases may be regulated and the neutral point being in the center of the charge always insures that uniform heat is maintained throughout the saine.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely dill'erent embodiments ol my invention c ould be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereol, it is intended that f all matter contained in these specifications l and drawings shall bc interpreted as illusi trative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understoodthat the language of the following claims is intended to cover such generic and spccilic tea-turcs of the inl vention herein described, which, as a matter r ol language, might be said to be included l thereby.

i What l claiinas my invention is:

l 1. The combination with a source of polyl phase current of an electric furnace having a i crucible formed therein by a lurality of conl verging electrodes having di ei'ent phases of l the polyphase current flowing through each l andan electrode adapted to extend into the :l top` of the charge supported on said electrodes and coing connected to the neutral l point of the polyphase system.

l 2. The combination with a source of polyl phase current of an electric furnace having a l crucible formed therein by a plurality oi' conl verging electrodes having different phases of the poy hase current owing through each In witness whereof I have hereunto set my and al; e hectrylde adapted to extend ihto 1the hand in the presence of two witnesses.

to o t e c arge su ort-ec on sal( e ec- I -w trgde and beingr lconepcted to the neutral JAMEb HENRY REID point of the poyphase system, and aut- Witnesses: matic constant current regulating means for RUSSEL S. SMART,

each of the electrodes. g M. GILBERTSON. 

